This past Friday night, John Waite, an iconic rocker known for his work with The Babys, Bad English and as a solo artist, brought 40 years worth of brilliant music to Wilkes-Barre, PA. From start to finish, he had the crowd in the palm of his hand with charismatic stage presence and jaw-dropping vocals. But what he did onstage was made more meaningful by what he did backstage before the show.

Five years after his last album, Anomaly, Ace Frehley, the former lead guitarist of KISS, is back with a brand-new solo record: Space Invader. And I’m happy to report that Ace’s new album should please most fans of the legendary guitarist. What you’ll find here is meat-and-potatoes rock and roll. While it isn’t without its faults, I find this album to be superior to Anomaly and reminiscent of his 1989 album, Trouble Walkin’. With SpaceInvader,Ace didn’t try to pander to the critics or be something he isn’t. He’s simply set out to create a kick-ass rock and roll record: Mission accomplished.

Space Invader will be released on August 19. Until then, check out my track-by-track review of the album below:

35 years into their career, Huey Lewis & The News are better than ever. This past weekend I saw the guys perform at the Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs in Wilkes-Barre, PA and they were fantastic. I, along with a packed room of fans, sang along and enjoyed every minute of the 16-song set.

T. Jefferson Parker is a three-time Edgar Award-winning author of 21 novels, including his newest book, Full Measure, which comes out October 7. He also recently collaborated with John Lescroart on a short story for the terrific thriller anthology, FaceOff.

I had the distinct pleasure of meeting T. Jefferson Parker at ThrillerFest VIII and ThrillerFest IX, and below is my recent interview with him. I hope you enjoy it.

Foreigner, Styx and Don Felder have been traveling across the country on the Soundtrack of Summer tour and I was in attendance for their July 3rd concert in Camden, NJ. The evening consisted of four hours of 31 classic songs, and the crowd loved every minute of it. People were swaying, singing and dancing in the aisles. It was a fitting way to kick off the celebratory July 4th weekend.

I recently had the pleasure of speaking with the incredibly talented Johnny Colla of Huey Lewis & The News. Our conversation covered his entire career, including his early days playing with Jack Blades in Rubicon to his time playing with Van Morrison and Sly and the Family Stone. And of course, we discussed his influential role as a founding member of Huey Lewis & The News, a band that has been making great music for nearly 40 years.

Last week I attended ThrillerFest IX in New York City. This annual event is held by the terrific organization International Thriller Writers, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. While at ThrillerFest IX, I had the opportunity to attend FanFest, a portion of the week-long event where fans get to meet and spend time with a multitude of authors over cocktails. Picture it: There’s a large room with Lee Child, Michael Connelly, David Morrell, and countless others at tables waiting to sign your book, take photos with you and chat. It was a great way to cap off my week at ThrillerFest IX. Below are several photos of myself and authors whom I spent time with during the conference or at FanFest.

Last week I attended ThrillerFest IX in New York City. This annual event is held by the terrific organization International Thriller Writers, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. While at ThrillerFest IX, I had the opportunity to meet and learn from some of the best in the business. Friday and Saturday were comprised of panels about a variety of topics. I couldn’t stick around for Saturday but below are photos and highlights from some of the sessions that took place on Friday.